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V85TT Suspension Thread

Vagrant,
Same question I had for myself until I considered what my old bod could take and how tough a path I was willing to ride. Alas, I decided that some rocks were OK but at my ripe old age I prefer fire-roads which tend to eliminate the "beat the tar outa me" rough stuff. Thus, losing the ground clearance has not been noticed. Stay well. PDC
 
I have a 21 v85tt with a lower fork tube that is bent and has a kink so needs replaced.
I’m trying to get the shock foot bracket off, the lock screw has a funny head on it, does anyone know what tool it takes?
Anyone know of a right fork I can buy?
Also, since I’m working on the suspension I was thinking of different options for forks.
I plan on putting Motoz Tractionator Desert H/T on front and back to do some single track and the K.A.T this fall or in the spring.
So, I’m looking for very soft suspension.
Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Jeff
 

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Probably a torx head.

Did you know you can take pictures and post them here? That always makes it so much easier and much more likely to receive help.

👌😆🙏
 
Oh…kinda blurry but maybe a external Mortorq head?
 
vagrant said:
Can I get away without shortening the side stand. I have the forks at line four also. I suspect the center stand will be a bitch too
Click to expand...
I have the minus 24mm mshock and raised the forks 4 lines. I used the side stand as factory for about 3 months and many times on off camber parking areas it was close to falling over, so I cut 1 " out of the side stand which worked out great. The photo shows a tight fitting bolt shank I put inside before rewelding. The center stand is a problem which I solved by carrying a 6" piece of 2x4 with 45 degree angles cut into both ends, I then roll the front or rear up onto this 2x4 and the bike is easy to put on the center stand. I just generally use the center stand in my garage.SAM_3081.webp
 
GTM® said:
Hi Matty, since your new here, and per the paragraphs at the top of the page, click on the STORE tab at the top. I sell Andreani, but don't recommend them for N. American customers. Springs and valving work hand in hand, but up to you. People like to try to make me wrong despite my decades of experience and knowledge. You'll want to do both front and rear... I always say if your 4-wheel vehicle needed a suspension upgrade, would you only do one end? It's more critical on a motorcycle.
Click to expand...
The front and rear are a no-brainer. This was one of those cases where you ask a question you know the answer to, but ask stupidly anyway. Thanks. What do you think if the Andriani vs Matris?
 
Does anyone here know how much height adjustability the Matris R Mono has?
It says ot is adjustable, just a t don't see any range listed.
 
I am average height, just slightly under 5' 9". When I first got the V85 I was on tippy toes to balance it. My last bike was much lighter, a Triumph 650 and that was 50 years ago. So the V85 felt challenging to manage in that top heavy kind of way.
So I removed the rubber bumpers from under the seat. That helped a lot and presented no issues.
Now I have a -25mm shock and have also lowered the forks by 4 lines. This really transformed the riding experience for me. It's so much easier to manage the bike, I can flat foot it on both sides. It actually surprised me how much lighter and easy to handle the bike feels with the lowered centre of gravity. Like wheeling it out of the garage even with a full gas tank. In all ways the handling is more confidence inspiring and secure feeling. The GTM exhaust system and Antigravity Battery also helped a lot, I think 35 lbs less weight.
Of course I am losing an inch of ground clearance. For me that's OK because any off roading will be dirt road, green lane or fairly even trails, not technical. There is still lots of clearance available.
All the lowering changes were straightforward. I used a car jack in the process. The biggest issue was the sidestand. Like one day the thing will fall over if this is not resolved.
It cost me $100 to have a 1 inch section of the sidestand cut out, then re-welded. I removed the sidestand first. When you re-install, do the bolt first, then hook on the two springs that face each other one at a time by using a loop of rope to tug them into place.
The end result of these changes for me is truly night and day. Given that say 50% of riders are my height or less then a lot of others might have the same reaction. The V85 is so incredibly well conceived, certainly for my needs as an air-cooled curmudgeon. Performance with maintenance autonomy. That's the inspiration here.
 

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Hi, folks.

My wife has decided that she likes riding the V85 more than her V7, so we need to get it a bit lower. To do that, I'm thinking about ordering the MShock Mono -25mm, and sliding the forks up an equivalent amount, but I'm a bit worried. I find the stock suspension to be pretty much perfect for my weight once set up properly, and I don't want to impact that negatively. With the stock suspension, front and rear travel are identical on this bike, and I'm wondering if there will be any negative effect from having less travel at the rear that at the front. Vagrant was kind enough to give me his thoughts already, but I thought I would send it out to the forum to gain any additional intel I can.

Note: I don't really do a lot of off-road. Just some gravel, occasionally.

Thanks for any insiight.

Shaun
 
smdl said:
My wife has decided that she likes riding the V85 more than her V7, so we need to get it a bit lower. To do that, I'm thinking about ordering the MShock Mono -25mm, and sliding the forks up an equivalent amount, but I'm a bit worried.
Shaun
Click to expand...
I bought the mshock. It is a good quality shock, I also raised the forks about 15mm in the triple clamp. My friend Craig also bought the Mshock and he is very happy with it.
 
smdl said:
but I'm a bit worried. I find the stock suspension to be pretty much perfect for my weight once set up properly, and I don't want to impact that negatively. With the stock suspension, front and rear travel are identical on this bike, and I'm wondering if there will be any negative effect from having less travel at the rear that at the front.
Click to expand...
Technically speaking, of course it matters. That said, we've sold a few shorter shocks, and if you do what we suggested as you repeated, it will work well for her. Suspension is built to weight and specs you supply. Our link is below.

gtmotocycles.com

Search: 8 results found for "v85tt lower"

Custom Guzzi Builds, Parts and Service in Southern California.
gtmotocycles.com gtmotocycles.com
 
I've searched this site but I couldn't find anything, is anyone running a V85TT with the factory option Ohlins rear shock fitted?
 
I am running that shock.

So far only about 1500Kms though.

Great comfort and predicatability both onroad and off.
 
Chris Jessop said:
I've searched this site but I couldn't find anything, is anyone running a V85TT with the factory option Ohlins rear shock fitted?
Click to expand...
Plenty better options on the Store tab above. If you really want one, I can get you one for a very decent price. Email us direct if so; Sales @GTMotoCycles.com
What are your plans for the forks?
 
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